


Split Second Of A Beat

by curiosa



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Guns, M/M, Missing Scene, Training
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-29
Updated: 2011-06-29
Packaged: 2017-10-20 20:26:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/216780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiosa/pseuds/curiosa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In training, Charles can't shoot Erik, but maybe he can shoot himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Split Second Of A Beat

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the kink_meme over on lj.

There’s a split second of a beat before Charles takes the gun and turns it towards him, pushing the metal into his forehead and taking the safety off with a solid click. For a split second of a beat, Erik feels his heart stop beating.

“You have to be kidding me.”

With a smile sliding onto his face, Erik moves to take a step forward, hand rising to grab the gun as Charles takes a sliding step back; fingers still wrapped tightly round the metal, muzzle still pressed firmly to his head.

“I can’t shoot you,” Charles says, his voice firm, eyes blinking as his forehead crinkles, “but I trust you to stop this.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Give me the gun back.”

At that, Erik pushes forward, hand coming out to swipe the gun from Charles’ grasp and grabbing empty air.

“Charles, let’s be serious for a second here.”

There’s a tremor to his voice, something that neither of them will admit later, even though Charles will remember the way it vibrated through his skin and Erik will think of nothing but the way he couldn’t keep his voice from shaking.

“Deadly serious, Erik” There’s a grin on his face, the corners of his lips curled up and the whites of his teeth pressing down on the top of his bottom lip. “I’ll count to three, shall I? It seems fitting.”

For a moment, Erik feels like he can’t breathe, like all the air has been sucked from around them.

“One.”

There’s sweat curling down the line of his neck, chasing under the collar of his sweatshirt and soaking in to the fabric. Charles blinks heavy at him, the gun straight in his grip, pressing an angry red line across the top of his skin.

“Maybe we should talk about this, try something a little simpler?”

“You were willing to let me shoot yourself.” There’s a laugh in the bubble of his throat, threatening to burst and spill over. “Two.”

Erik feels his mouth go dry, fingers twitching to pull the gun from Charles’ grip.

 _I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I could stop you quite easily._

“Three.”

Charles’ finger crooks, pressing down on the trigger as Erik’s heart slows to a stop. There’s a loud bang in the back of his head, the noise resounding and reverberating over and over. His hand moving forward as he feels a pull of power come from the base of his wrist, a line down to the centre of his chest; strong and desperate, teeth grinding down as he tries to pull the metal back and force it to do as he wants.

Charles stares at him all the while; eyes wide and open as he watches Erik try to stop a small and single bullet penetrate the skin and muscle of his head.

 _You can do it, Erik. You have my complete and utter confidence._

Erik sucks in a small breath of air and pulls with every fibre of his being.

With a small pinging sound the bullet falls to the floor, the gun that Charles is holding in his hand, following it a couple of seconds later, flying out of his grasp and away before he can get any more crazy ideas.

“Never do that again.”

Charles grins and Erik has to press himself back from grabbing and shaking him by the shoulders, digging his fingers into his flesh until Charles hurts and understands. There’s a red circle pressed into his forehead, the beginning of a line of a bruise and a small dot where the bullet pushed against his skin.

“I am fine, Erik. I trusted you completely.”

He moves his hand to circle the pulse point of Erik’s wrist, three of his fingers pressing down lightly. It takes Erik a moment to swallow, to feel his heart come back to normal and pump along a steady beat.

“Should we try something a little bit bigger?”

There’s a satellite across the way and Charles’ grin is as reckless as ever.


End file.
